Student Achievement Partners
"The Glorious Whitewasher" from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain with Mini-Assessment
It's the classic scene: Tom Sawyer is whitewashing a fence. Expose your learners to Mark Twain's humor while reinforcing reading comprehension. Eighth graders are encouraged to read and reread, achieving as much exposure to the text as...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Mark Twain and American Humor
“The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” is famous, in part, because it established a uniquely American form of humor. For this famous story, Mark Twain combines the tall-tale, the dialect story, and satire. Here is a resource...
Curated OER
Unit Plan for Mark Twain and American Humor
Students create brochures about the humor of Mark Twain. In this literature-analysis lesson plan, students read "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and other short stories by Twain. Students write analytical paragraphs and...
Curated OER
Satire and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Does Mark Twain’s satire become sarcasm and does he cross the line of propriety in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? As an introduction of satire, class members view an excerpt from The Daily Show and discuss Stewart's use of this...
Curated OER
A Report From the 21st Century - Mark Twain
Students look at Twain, the humorist - considered America's favorite storyteller and the funniest man in the world at the time. Students stretch the truth about a personal experience, and consider how delivery affects impact.
Curated OER
Twain: An American Humorist
Students examine American humor and character through analysis of works by Mark Twain. In this cross curricular lesson, students develop a definition of American humor and determine how and why some consider Twain the 'first truly...
Curated OER
Short Story Lesson Plan
Students read and discuss the short story, "The McWilliamses and the Burglar Alarm," by Mark Twain. They assume the role of the main characters in the story and write a humorous letter of complaint using a business letter format. They...
Curated OER
"Taming the Bicycle"
Eighth graders discuss invention of bicycle and early obstacles to riding, listen to and discuss short story "Taming the Bicycle" by Mark Twain, define vocabulary words from story, and create and present humorous "how to" project to...
Curated OER
Defending Great Literature
Students defend Mark Twain and the study of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn using persuasive techniques, appropriate word choice, and correct letter format, in response to a fictional letter by an upset parent.
Curated OER
Lesson One: Mark Twain and Will Rogers - American Originals
Students research the lives of Mark Twain and Will Rogers. They watch videos and research websites to find information and compile examples of each man's writings which they present to the class.
Literacy Design Collaborative
Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
Was that supposed to be funny? Scholars analyze The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County to determine if Mark Twain's story is indeed based on humor. Learners work through short response questions, vocabulary, and active reading to make a...
Curated OER
"Journalism in Tennessee"
High schoolers listen to headline from National Enquirer or other tabloid, listen to story "Journalism in Tennessee," compare and contrast connections between Twain's idea of journalism with present day journalism, define vocabulary, and...
National Endowment for the Humanities
"Old Southwest" Humorists and George Washington Harris
Young scholars discover the work of George Washington Harris and his influence on American humor. For this George Washington Harris lesson plan, discuss cultural differences in the United States and read Sut Lovongwood stories by George...
Curated OER
The Font of Funniness
Students research the work of a contemporary humorist by analyzing a variety of pieces of their work. They look at the work from a variety of media sources such as writing, videos, and broadcasts to decide how "American" the material is....
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Mark Twain and American Humor
This lesson leads high school students through a greater understanding of the conventions of the literary device of "Humor," through a study of Mark Twain and the story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." A three-part...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Mark Twain: Storyteller, Novelist, and Humorist
By examining two primary source activities and a short video, students will learn how this literary icon used humor and a uniquely American voice to chronicle post-Civil War life in the United States.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: On Stage at the Kennedy Center: 2001 Mark Twain Prize: Twain and R
Use this instructional activity to study the lives of Mark Twain and Will Rogers. Analyze the writing styles of both authors, and identify the men as humorists who reflected and changed American culture.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: On Stage at the Kennedy Center: The 2001 Mark Twain Prize
This Teacher Resource from the Kennedy Center helps students examine where and how humorists derive the material presented to their audiences. Activities encourage students to analyze elements of humor and the style of entertainers, and...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: American Literary Humor: Twain, Harris, and Hawthorne
In this curriculum unit, students will consider American Literary Humor: Mark Twain, George Harris, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Worksheets and other supporting materials can be found under the Resources tab.